"Ukrainian But Not Ukraine" Stage Play Casting Actors
Directors are currently casting for a stage production of Ethan Persyko’s new work of verbatim theatre, "Ukrainian But Not Ukraine". ONLY LOCAL TALENT WILL BE CONSIDERED. See more info below About the project: Synopsis: This project is a memory-play that follows Ethan, a Queer, non-binary, second-generation immigrant who wrestles with their Ukrainian-Jewish heritage and the feeling of never being “Ukrainian enough.” Through shifting portrayals of their grandparents Efim and Anna, their mother Inna, and their uncle Greg, the narrative traces the family’s immigration from Kyiv to Canada, their struggles with assimilation, and the generational fractures that emerge. Rate: All roles are profit-share (from ticket sales of the production). Additional info: Calling all Ukrainian and/or Jewish actors. Non-Union. Rehearsal dates and location TBD. Performances will likely be on October 11th and 18th (with hopefully more to come at various venues). When applying, please include your headshot, resume & demo reel (if you have one). If directors are interested in moving forward they will contact you with further instructions.
5 roles
Non-binary (they/them), queer, introspective, and deeply conflicted about their heritage. They are both narrator and participant, constantly oscillating between vulnerability and defiance. ETHAN longs for connection to a homeland they have never fully known and struggles with feeling “not enough”—not Ukrainian enough, not Jewish enough, not anything enough. Their voice drives the play, poetic yet raw.
60+. ETHAN’s grandmother. A woman of immense quiet strength, steeped in tradition and resilience. She carries the weight of survival: smuggling diamonds in cakes, enduring antisemitism, holding a family together through scarcity and war. Her presence feels ritualistic, almost spiritual—she is memory incarnate, her gestures tender but deliberate.
60+. ETHAN’s grandfather. Once an engineer, now an aging man shaped by labor and loss. Stoic, disciplined, with a soldier’s bearing. His dignity is rooted in work and sacrifice. Beneath his rigidity lies deep love and silent pride. EFIM’s struggle with assimilation, illness, and identity mirrors ETHAN’s own, though expressed through silence rather than words.
ETHAN’s mother. Practical, sharp, and fiercely protective. A child immigrant who adapted quickly to Canadian life, leaving fragments of her Ukrainian identity behind. Her love manifests as control; her fear as criticism. She carries intergenerational trauma but rarely names it. In scenes of confession, her vulnerability breaks through.
ETHAN’s uncle. A provocateur with biting humor. Restless, bitter, and deeply cynical about heritage and queerness. He masks pain with cruelty, often serving as the voice of internalized resentment and societal prejudice. Yet beneath his mockery lies an unspoken longing for belonging.
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